Newsweek reporter Joshua Alston recently had all of his gadgets stolen from his apartment, while he was taking his usual morning shower. These included his laptop, iPod, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Imagine what a horrific experience this must be for any tech-freak. After filling the report, he realized that there wasn't much the police could do, so he almost gave up hoping he could ever get his stuff back.

But, luckily for him, he remembered he had installed on his laptop a little program that seemed unimpressive at the time. It was a remote-access software called LogMeIn that allows users to access home computers from anywhere over a secure Internet connection. Thus, he could perform almost any operation on his stolen laptop, like transferring files, listening to music and even controlling the desktop.

That's when the digital pursuit began. Of course, chances were the thief would have immediately got rid of the stolen goods, but Alston decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, in less than 24 hours after the burglary, the thief started to use the computer. That allowed the owner to collect essential data about him and send the IP addresses to the detective assigned to his case.

While “stocking” the burglar, Alston made sure he had “a little electronic revenge along the way,” he stated. If the thief erased all his data, he did the same thing to his music. He even downloaded some of his pictures, which showed that he was a young black man. On April Fool's Day, Alston altered one of those photos to make the burglar look like he had leprosy and set it as a wallpaper.

Finally, he even managed to start the laptop's webcam and registered live images from the thief's house. When he thought he collected enough data, he went to the police to secure a search warrant and get his stuff back. Unfortunately, after questioning the man, the detectives decided they couldn't make a solid case and let the thief go. The only item returned was the laptop.

Joshua Alston himself recognized that the joy of getting it back didn't even compare to the fun he had toying with his burglar. His "cyberdetective agency" is closed for the moment, but he warns all possible criminals that sometimes, the victim can also be watching, when least expected.


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